Erin: You are much too gullible. You unravel when you
hear loud noises or yelling. You can't stand to be touched. You rock in the
corner and count to yourself. You need a guardian to manage your life for you.
You're incompetent, Lily.

Lily: Are they going to say it just like
that, while I'm on the stand?

Erin: All we can do is guess till we get into the
courtroom. But your father wants your marriage to Jonathan annulled, and the
first step is proving that you're incompetent today. My guess is he is going to
do whatever it takes to win.

Jack: How long have you been standing
there?

Erica: Long enough to see you destroy a
piece of paper. Jack, I know you think that you're protecting Lily, but I don't
think --

Jack: Erica, we've been over this and over
this and over this. Now, Jonathan is keeping his miraculous recovery a secret.
Why? And if he's hiding that, what else is he hiding? I am not going to put my
daughter at risk waiting to find out.

[Doorbell rings]

Ryan: Jack, what do you think you're
doing? This has to stop, Jack. This insanity stops now.

Babe: Door-to-door service. I could
definitely get used to this.

J.R.: Well, come home, and I'll bring you
back later.

Babe: I know all of your tricks by now.
But it doesn't mean that I don't love them.

J.R.: I hate leaving you.

Josh: Hate leaving her or you hate leaving
her with me?

Tad: How are you, old buddy, old pal.

David: Get your hands off me. What the
hell was that for? Did you plant drugs on me? Call in the DEA?

Tad: Why don't you sit down. Shut up,
chill. Come on. Imbibe. Go on.

David: It's 9:00 a.m., Tad.

Tad: Yeah, I know. It's a good thing.
Gives you plenty of time to catch up. You're going to need it when you find out
who's been nailing the woman of our collective dreams.

Zach: Hey.

Kendall: Hey.

Zach: How's Spike?

Kendall: Ooh, a long night. He was crabby and snuggly and
now, finally, snoozy. Ok, so, back to adult talk. You said that you have a way
to get the charges against you and Dixie dropped.

Zach: Yeah. Won't be clean or easy.

Kendall: Ok, well, yes. Yes, whatever it is, yes, I'm in.

Zach: You got to hear me out.

Kendall: Honey, you not in prison, with me and Spike
forever, that's it. What more do I need to hear?

Zach: Shh. We got to prove Tad right. Dixie and I are having an affair.

Babe: Nice mellow way to start the
morning, Josh. Guess we won't be needing caffeine with you around.

J.R.: Oh, it's cool. I didn't notice him,
anyway.

Josh: Oh, and here I thought I was the
center of your universe. All that trouble you went through for me, the night of
the opening. Did you hurt your finger pushing play on the CD?

J.R.: Actually, Babe’s the center of my
universe. You're just the guy that crash-landed her in the ocean. Say,
shouldn't you be in jail for that?

Josh: Well, you could show me how to
weasel out of it. You're my hero.

Babe: Ok, ok, enough! I'm not saying that
you guys need to order takeout and watch the wide screen, but enough of this
gorilla chest-thumping stuff. Ok?

Josh: All right, Babe wants us to start
over. Whatever she wants from me, she gets. You going to leave me hanging?

J.R.: Whatever Babe wants.

Babe: A couple more times and maybe it
won't look like it's killing you both.

Josh: I'm fine. You?

J.R.: Never better. I'll see you at home.

Josh: You happy?

Babe: That was huge, what you just did.
Thank you.

Josh: Well, like I said, whatever boss
lady wants.

Babe: And if she said, "Get to
work"?

Josh: I'm on it.

Ryan: What are you trying to do here,
Jack? I mean, are you serious? You want to point Lily out to the court as being
incompetent. That's what you want to do.

Erica: Can't we wait, Jack? Can't we wait?
Find another way? I mean, if you take Lily to court like this --

Jack: Now, do you think I want to put her
on that stand? Do you think I enjoyed looking at her face when she was served
those court papers that I signed the petition for?

Ryan: Right, well, you know what? Get
ready for the look on her face when you rip her away from the husband that she
loves, Jack. I mean, come on. What they have -- what Lily and Jonathan have is
pretty incredible, isn't it? I mean, it's like a miracle. Why would you want to
mess with that?

Jack: All right, Ryan, get ready to be
ripped out of your little fantasy world. Because your brother is not mentally
challenged. No, he's recovered. He's well, fine, intact. Which means every time
he lies to his wife, he knows exactly what he's doing.

Ryan: Wow. That's your excuse, Jack? I
mean, you think that Jonathan all of a sudden has just got recov -- I mean, you
have lost it.

Erica: Ryan, are you sure? There is no way
-- no way -- that Jonathan is faking his condition?

Ryan: No. Jonathan has not recovered.

Jack: Or maybe he's just conning you
again, Ryan. Or maybe you're lying for him again. Either way, here's what I
know -- your brother's lying to an 18-year-old autistic girl to get what he
wants from her.

Ryan: Ok, so this is why you want to go to
court. This is insane.

Jack: Well, you don't have to believe me.
Why don't you talk to your sister? I heard her in conversation with Jonathan.
No stutter, no -- no simpleton act. Go ahead, talk to Erin. She knows the truth.

Ryan: It's a mistake, Jack.

Jack: I'll tell you what -- when someone
lies to and manipulates and hurts your son, then you come back and talk to me,
all right?

[Ryan leaves and slams the door.]

Erica: Jack, I am doing everything I can
to win my son back. And you're doing your damnedest to chase your daughter
away.

Lily: My dad said that this is for my own
good. But it doesn't make me feel good at all. It makes me feel horrible.

Erin: And Livia is going to make this judge see who you
are. You are a strong, smart, competent young woman.

[Knock on door]

Jonathan: Amanda, hey.

Amanda: Hey.

Jonathan: Thank you so much for coming
with us.

Amanda: Of course. I brought some good
luck for Lily.

Lily: That's just superstition. I need
real help.

Amanda: This is real help, to keep you
calm. My father used it when he argued a case in court.

[Amanda hands Lily a coin.]

Lily: Trevor needed help to stay in
control?

Amanda: Worked for him, it'll work for
you.

Lily: Thank you.

Jonathan: Lily, you and Amanda should --
should go down to the courthouse to meet Livia now. Yeah.

Erin: We are going to fight. We are going to fight,
Jonathan, just like I told Lily, ok?

Jonathan: If Jack wins -- if the court or
the world calls her incompetent -- Erin, it'd kill her.

Erin: And you.

Tad: You're no longer a suspect for
Madden’s murder. The bad news is Dixie hasn't
exactly been pining for you. Matter of fact, she's been wrinkling up the old
sheets with Zach Slater. What a kick in the head, huh? Zach Slater. Do you get
his appeal? Because I don't. It's got to be a chick thing. Something about the
tall, dark, and secretive type. In any case, I called you down here, because I
was thinking we'd go online and score ourselves a new beauty to kill each other
over. God, I feel old. Anyway, I'm thinking about a brunette. That work for
you?

David: You know something? Even half drunk
and incoherent, you're still a bore. Let's back up, shall we? Why do you want
me to think that Dixie’s with Slater? Do you expect me to storm off in a
huff and give you a clear shot at the ex-missus? I got to tell you something,
old buddy, old pal. I've never considered you an obstacle to Dixie.

Tad: And there it is. Step one in the
grieving process -- denial. I like to call this step 2. Because it'll slide you
right through to acceptance. Come on, D-dizzle, say it with me, "Dixie’s got herself a new love machine."

Tad: It's amazing. All that intelligence.
All those intricate, little, paranoid fantasies you dream up. And you refuse to
see what's staring you flat in the face. Dixie's lost to us. She's with Slater now.

Zach: Say someone comes forward and is
willing to testify that Dixie couldn't have found Madden and buried him that
night, because Dixie was with me in a motel room.

Kendall: You two -- you and Dixie --

Zach: So it would seem.

Kendall: While I was in a coma? I mean, Zach, you had a
gun with full ammunition ready to go on anyone who came near me. You think
Derek’s just going to forget all of that and buy this story?

Zach: I thought I lost you. I was looking
for comfort.

Kendall: From Dixie Martin?

Zach: Sure. I've been protecting her. I
kept her away from her family already, and she was looking for comfort, too.

Kendall: Ok, so you two --

Zach: Yep. Nowhere near Madden or the
park.

Kendall: Well, you'd have an alibi. You think anyone would
believe it?

Zach: They'd believe it.

Kendall: You sound so calm. Why do I feel like this is so
dangerous?

Zach: Because it is.

Kendall: The whole world would think you broke my heart.

Zach: Well, they wouldn't be surprised.
They already think I'm a bastard.

Kendall: Well, I'd be surprised. Because I know you love
me, and I love you. Zach, you and me and Spike, we need each other.

Zach: Sure, but if I had done the
unthinkable --

Kendall: It would kill me to turn my back on you.

Zach: I don't want to be away from you,
not for one minute. Not for 25 to life. But if the world believes this, it’s
going to believe this affair, then you're going to have to push me away. Can
you do that?

Tad: Dixie and Zach? Conjure up that video inside your head. The two of them in
the sack, grinding away, making love. Her calling out a name that doesn't begin
with D. They're the real thing, doc. It's amazing, isn't it? All these years,
we thought that one of us would be the winner. It turns out we weren't even in
the race. Zach's the winner. And his trophy is Dixie Cooney.

David: Got to be careful, Junior. Stepdad
is walking on the wacky side. You might want to rein him in before he takes a
header and splatters his brains. Or don't. Hey, works for me.

Tad: You better sit down. I got some
things to discuss with you.

J.R.: You sure about Zach and my mom?

Tad: Sure enough.

J.R.: Is this your idea of a latte? Do you
mind?

Tad: Buzz kill.

J.R.: I don't think you need a 12-step
program yet. Talk.

Tad: Your mother has made her choice. It
turns my stomach, but it is what it is.

J.R.: Well, stop her. Win her back.

Zach: It's your call.

Kendall: Ok, so if I can't handle all of this, then no one
gets you off for murder? What the hell kind of choice is that?

Zach: It's a bad one.

Kendall: Yeah, it is. It's a really, really bad one. So,
if they clear your name, then can you come running back to me and beg for my
forgiveness?

Zach: Sure. Sure, I can. Because you are
such a forgiving person.

Kendall: Well, you do have your charms.

Zach: That's true. But they're going to
think you're a sucker.

Kendall: Like I care what anyone thinks.

Zach: I don't care what people think until
prison's out of the picture.

Kendall: I'd have to hate you. All right, so -- so Tad is
at the courthouse throwing around all these things about you and Dixie, and then we make that the truth? And then you're off the hook for
murder?

Babe: Exactly. But to get them to license
the song for a national account, it's major money. It's not going to happen.

Josh: Hand me the phone.

Erica: I tried to protect Josh. I tried to
do what I felt was best. And it cost me. It almost cost me my child.

Jack: I'm afraid I may have already lost
Lily.

Erica: Jack, this isn't about you losing
Lily. It's also about Lily losing herself. Do you understand that? If the court
takes away her right to run her own life, you can break her, Jack. Please,
listen to me. It could take years for me to get through to Josh. And that might
never happen. I don't want that for you and Lily.

Jack: I appreciate your concern, I do. But
this is my decision. And I will be there for my daughter like I always have.

Erica: Well, you have always been Lily’s
champion. You have always been the one who told her that you thought that she
was strong enough and smart enough to get past her condition. If you do this,
Jack, today, what you're telling Lily is that you're the liar and that you
never believed in her at all.

Jack: I have a hearing to get to.

Livia: And what if your dad's attorney
asks you about your reaction to red?

Lily: I say that the color red
overstimulates my brain, so I can get upset. But I always bring my sunglasses
with me, so that I can put them on, and they can block out the red, and my
brain can function normally.

Livia: And that's an example --

Lily: Of me finding a solution to my
problems. When I encounter a problem, I develop a coping strategy. And I'm
fully competent to handle my own financial affairs.

Livia: I'm sorry you have to go through
this, Lily. I am so sorry that Jack doesn't see what I see -- the most
competent young woman I know.

Ryan: Jack claims that he heard you two
talking, all right? Could you have said anything at all that he could twist?
You know, why would he think that Jonathan is fully recovered?

Erin: I'm not really sure. I don't -- maybe --

Ryan: Oh, my God. You're back.

Zach: Guilty of adultery but innocent of
killing Madden.

Kendall: This is -- this is something that's down the
line, right? This is not now. I mean, right now, right in this very second, you
are with me, and we are blissfully in love, right?

Zach: Yeah, no happier couple. But if
someone comes forward --

Kendall: It'll be like a knife to my heart.

Zach: Can you take it?

Kendall: I'm your wife. I am your wife. I can do it, I can
handle it, and right now, you love me. You love me.

Zach: More than life.

Kendall: I want you right now. I want you to make love to
me. Zach, make love to me. Make love to me. Make me forget this ever happened.

Ryan: Don't lie to me.

Jonathan: Yeah. Yes, yes, it's true. I'm
-- I'm back.

Ryan: When? What? I mean, when did this --

Jonathan: Ok, hold on. New York, when I took the hit in the head. I had headaches,
I had some dizziness. Then I had that seizure. When I woke up, I was out --

Ryan: What are you -- what are you talking
about? Why didn't you tell me?

Jonathan: Because I love her, Ryan. And
the thought was -- I wanted to keep Lily happy.

Ryan: All this time?

Jonathan: Listen, if you're angry --

Ryan: No, no, no, no. My brother is back,
all right. He's back.

Erin: He's been amazing. Ryan, everything that he has
done to stay with Lily, the show that he's had to put on --

Jonathan: Yeah, not good enough,
evidently. I mean, listen, please. You're not angry?

Ryan: No! I'm just -- stop. I'm blown away
here, all right? Everything that Jack has said to me --

Jonathan: Yeah, it's true. I lied, but it
was not -- it was not to take advantage of Lily. It was just to make her happy.
I mean, can you see that? Or do you guys think that I'm doing --

Ryan: Stop, stop, stop. What I see is I
see two people that are in love, ok? That's what I've seen. And that deserve
happiness no matter what. That's what I've seen. Wow. I mean, the only person
that you hurt while you were lying is yourself.

Jonathan: I will not let Lily lose who she
is, who she thinks I am. Because if she does, she's all alone again, Ryan, and
I won't let her be alone again.

Ryan: So we fight. We fight, and we help
Livia prove her case.

Josh: No, I didn't call to talk beer bongs
and old frat parties. This is business, Hoover. Guess who the newest Fusion girl is. No, I didn't
switch teams, but I do know a disturbing amount about body spray. You wish you
were hanging with the hotties. Your boy could be if you play nice. That's right,
my friend, we want to hook "Flash in the Pan" up with our latest
multimedia campaign. Right, because national exposure sucks. I hate selling CDs
and making lots of money. "Flash in the Pan" plateaued in the
demographics a few weeks ago. We hook you up, the next single could go number
one. No deal. We get your answer by lunch or the deal's off the table. That's
what I thought. Later.

Babe: Interesting. Business by abuse.

Josh: That wasn't abuse. That was man
love.

Babe: Ok, wait, time-out. You know Zarf's
manager?

Josh: He'll come through.

Babe: And I thought I knew you.

Josh: Babe, I'm Mr. Surprise. That's what
makes me so irresistible.

Babe: How about you stop flirting and get
back to work?

Josh: Well, I'm also Mr. Multitask. I can
do both. Watch me.

J.R.: This thing with Kate and Madden has
got my mom going crazy. I mean, if there's anyone that can get through to her,
it's you.

Tad: No. Ten years ago, maybe even five.
But not now.

J.R.: What are you going to do? Are you
going to let Slater suck her in?

Tad: Look, I understand you love your
mother, you want to save her. But she has made her choice. And somewhere out
there is a big neon sign on Slater’s chest that says it isn't me.

J.R.: Yeah, but the other night on the
beach, when we were waiting for the news about Babe, it was with you and me and
Mom.

Tad: J.R., together forever isn't what it
used to be. Howdy, sheriff? Come by to buy a yacht? Maybe have an early morning
dip or just a quick pickup game of fish?

Derek: Thought maybe you were ready to
spill what you know about Dixie and the night Dr. Madden disappeared.

Tad: Dixie's ears have got to be burning. She is certainly the topic of the day.

Derek: That mean you're ready to talk?

J.R.: Did you come to talk to Tad or drag
him down to the station?

Derek: How about if I drag you down? But
enough about you. Let's talk about you and what you haven't shared with the
rest of the class.

Tad: If I decide to, it's going to sound a
lot like one hand clapping.

Derek: You'll talk eventually, Tad, because
I won't stop until you do.

J.R.: Was that the booze talking or are
you completely losing it?

Tad: It's me, old Tad, the same man you've
known and loved for years. Sucker, always trying to protect your mother. It's a
little hard these days, J.R., because I got a belly full of bitter. So it's up
to you. You protect her now.

Attorney: My client is well-known in this
courthouse, Your Honor. We have all heard the love in his voice when he talks
about his daughter. We know from Jack personally or from Lily’s medical file,
which you have before you, of Lily’s struggle with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
While Lily has many talents and abilities, she's not your average 18-year-old.
She lacks the capacity to make the cognitive choices necessary for a safe and
healthy existence. The most frightening example is her recent marriage to
Jonathan Lavery, a man with a violent past who has used Lily’s affliction in
order to trap her into a marriage she can't fully comprehend. Jackson
Montgomery has reluctantly brought the motion to court to have Lily declared
incompetent, so he may resume guardianship of his daughter and have this
marriage annulled.

Judge: Thank you, counselor. I've read the
file and all the documents submitted into evidence, and I am ready to hear
testimony in regard to Lily Montgomery Lavery’s mental competency.

Julia: Lily is an ideal Life-Skills
student -- attentive, engaged.

Attorney: But still a person who needs
assistance with basic life skills, interpersonal communication. Could Lily’s
tendency to become overwrought prevent her from, say, making decisions in a
medical situation, a life-threatening emergency?

Julia: I suppose -- yes.

Livia: You don't like to say Lily can't do
anything.

Julia: Lily's bright and interesting,
honest and kind, and I think that she has a lot of capabilities that people
might overlook. She is rare, and I respect her.

Livia: Have you seen dramatic improvements
in Lily’s life skills?

Julia: Yes, since she became involved with
Jonathan, which I think began in my class. She has become more decisive, more
open to change, and that's a big leap. She went from a girl to a young woman.
And I'm very happy for her. Who wouldn't be?

Attorney: And you kept your brother
hidden, even though he'd committed murder?

Livia: Objection, Your Honor. This is a
competency hearing. This is not a revisitation of old news. Jonathan Lavery was
cleared of any and all charges in this courtroom by reason of mental defect.

Attorney: Goes to show the strong
emotional bond between Lily Lavery’s husband and his sister.

Judge: Keep it moving.

Attorney: Did you hide your brother?

Erin: Yes.

Attorney: And then discovered his violent
actions were caused by a brain tumor?

Erin: Yes, and antipsychotics a doctor had mistakenly
prescribed. He went off the meds, he had the tumor removed.

Attorney: And was mentally impaired for a
time as a result. Is he now, as Jack claims, healed?

Erin: He did have some dizziness, but the doctor said
his CT scan was clear.

Attorney: Is he normal, no longer
impaired?

Erin: Does he sometimes speak more clearly? Sure. But
does he also get flustered and confused? Yes. I mean, is he well? He is healthy,
and he's happy, and he's in love. He's as well as anyone I've ever met.

Attorney: In what way does your disorder
affect you?

Lily: I have trouble understanding other
people's emotions.

Attorney: If someone's angry --

Lily: I can tell. Their eyebrows are
pushed in and their mouth is turned down.

Attorney: And your communication skills?

Lily: I always tell the truth, which is a
good thing.

Attorney: And loud sounds? How do they
make you feel?

Lily: Anxious. But my husband, Jonathan,
taught me to understand thunder and to not be afraid. He told me to focus on
the good noise when there's excess noise.

Attorney: The color red.

Lily: I have sunglasses.

Attorney: You have a lot of issues, don't
you?

Lily: Yes, and a lot of strategies to deal
with them. I'm very lucky in that way.

Livia: You work at ConFusion, which is a
new bar in town. You work with Lily.

Amanda: She works in the backroom. She's
not 21, so she does inventory, and she helps us with the books.

Livia: Ooh. That is a big job for an
incompetent woman.

Amanda: Lily can work numbers like you
wouldn't believe. Stuff that would take me a computer, a 100-page manual, and a
date with a tech geek, Lily knocks out in five minutes. She is part of the
team, and we count on her.

Livia: You hate your daughter's husband.

Jack: I hate what he's doing to her --
lying to her, manipulating her. He's got her trapped. I'm just hoping to give
her a way out here.

Livia: Lily doesn't feel trapped.

Jack: Well, I think that's even more proof
that she needs help.

Livia: Or proof that you can't let your
daughter go?

Attorney: Objection.

Livia: Nothing further.

Judge: Anything else, counselor?

Attorney: Yes, Your Honor. We'd like to
recall Lily Montgomery Lavery to the stand. Tell me about when you ran away a
few months ago.

Lily: My father wanted me to go back to my
old boarding school, but I didn't want to go.

Attorney: What did you do?

Lily: I hid from him and got off the train
in New York City. And I had a plan for Jonathan to meet me in Boston.

Attorney: But it didn't work out that way,
did it?

Lily: No. I left my purse and my phone.

Attorney: Well, how did you live without
money?

Lily: I collected coins from strangers on
the street. A lot of people do that, but they don't like the new people on
their turf, so I tried to find quiet and safe places to sleep.

Attorney: Did anything scare you?

Lily: His name was Terry.

Attorney: You were in this man's hotel
room.

Lily: That was mine, but he paid for it.

Attorney: And bought you clothes and food
and alcohol, which you drank. Was it your idea to drink it or Terry's?

Lily: It was Terry's.

Attorney: How did he convince you?

Lily: He told me that all adults drink and
that it wouldn't get me sick this time.

Attorney: Was that the truth?

Lily: No.

Attorney: But you couldn't tell that at
the time?

Lily: No.

Attorney: Do you always do what strangers
tell you to do?

Lily: No. He told me to do other things,
but I didn't do them.

Attorney: What other things? In order, as
you recall them.

Lily: To take off my shirt.

Attorney: And did you do it?

Lily: Yes, but I didn't like it.

Attorney: Why'd you do it?

Lily: Because he had asked me to. And he
told me that he'd help me and --

Attorney: What else did he ask you to do?

Lily: Have sex. But I told him I didn't
want to. He just said that I needed practice.

Attorney: Did you practice?

Lily: No.

Attorney: How did you protect yourself?

Lily: I didn’t. Jonathan --

Attorney: You didn't protect yourself. You
couldn't even try.

Lily: No, he wasn't bad. He wasn't mean.
He wasn't mad at --

Attorney: So that meant he was a good man?

Lily: No, no. He was bad. He was very bad.

Jack: Your Honor, I believe that the
witness could use a break.

Lily: No! No, I don't need a break, and I
don't need help! I'm an adult, and I'm competent! I love Jonathan. I don't need
a guardian! I can run my own life! You can't take it away from me. I'm
competent! No, no, no, no.

[Lily drops the coin she’s been fingering
which rolls across the courtroom floor and finally spins to a stop.]

Jonathan: Stop.

Livia: Your Honor, we would like to
request a short recess.

Judge: I think we could all use a break.

Bailiff: All rise.

Amanda: Lily.

Lily: Amanda, help me.

Ryan: You need backup?

Jonathan: No. I have to handle Jack
myself.

[Someone carrying a duffel bag lets
himself into Jack and Erica’s home with a key and stares at a photo of the happy
couple.]

J.R.: There's more going on. You can tell
me.

Tad: Look, I love your mother. I always
have, I always will. I wish to God that this had never happened, but it has.

J.R.: Freak me out a little less?

David: Dixie, open up. I want answers.

Erica: So you'll talk to Josh, you'll make
him know that we want him in our lives, we want him in our family.

Kendall: I'll try to work my Kane magic.

Josh: I am so good, I amaze myself. The
song is yours, and it won't break the bank.

Babe: Oh-ho! You are so good. You amaze
me, too. Oh, my gosh.

[Erica and Kendall look at each other as
they see Babe and Josh hugging each other.]

Jonathan: It's over. You win, Jack.

>> On the next "All My
Children" --

Babe (to Erica): Ooh, I'm shaking. What,
you think that you're so powerful you can take me down? Bring it on.

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